The United States is advancing one of its most significant government-backed critical minerals initiatives in years, and Pini Althaus, Managing Partner of Cove Capital LLC, has emerged as a central figure in its execution. In a discussion with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, Althaus described recent meetings in Washington, D.C., where U.S. President Donald J. Trump and senior cabinet officials reviewed the tungsten supply-chain agreement between the United States and Kazakhstan. “It’s definitely a new dawn in Washington,” Althaus said. “The approach that this administration is taking to securing critical mineral supply chains is unprecedented,” noting direct involvement from the President, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Bergman. “We’re seeing practical outcomes,” he said, as agencies adopt what he called “a very commercial approach” to long-term supply-chain security.Cove Capital, founded in 2015 and focused since 2018 on critical minerals, has been developing projects intended to supply U.S. and allied industrial, technological, and defense needs. While the sector’s attention has largely focused on rare earth elements, lithium, copper, and cobalt, Althaus emphasized that tungsten remains indispensable for national-security applications. “Tungsten—the uses are numerous, but especially for military applications, like munitions and armor-piercing ammunition,” he said. Because of its high melting point and density, tungsten is also used in space, nuclear systems, and industrial manufacturing. China controls more than 80 percent of global tungsten supply, and, as Althaus noted, “earlier this year also enacted a ban on tungsten exports to the United States… right around the time that President Trump took the oath of office.” This left the U.S. without a long-term supply source.The Kazakhstan project at the center of the new bilateral agreement contains what Althaus described as “in excess of 10% of global tungsten reserves.” The Northern Katpar and Upper Kairakty deposits, held through Severniy Katpar LLP, have been extensively studied, with a 2023 feasibility study reporting 1.4 million tonnes of JORC-compliant tungsten trioxide (WO₃). According to the data provided, the deposits represent roughly 70% of Kazakhstan’s known tungsten resources. Planned output of 12,000 tonnes per year equates to about 15% of current global production. “At even a 12,000-ton-per-annum rate,” Althaus said, “it’s over a 50-year supply for the United States for tungsten.”The agreement was formalized through an MOU signed by President Trump and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Althaus described it as “a government-to-government deal” in which the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) and U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) issued Letters of Interest. EXIM’s letter supports up to USD $900 million in financing. Total project development costs are estimated at USD $1.1 billion. According to the structure described, Cove Kaz Capital Group LLC will hold 70% of Severniy Katpar LLP, and Kazakhstan’s national mining company, JSC Tau-Ken Samruk, will hold 30%. Cove Kaz will market 100% of production under an LOI with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration.Althaus confirmed that the project will use a public-private model. “I anticipate that what we’ll see out of the U.S. government is the debt side. We’ll be bringing the equity side,” he said. Based on the feasibility study and current tungsten prices, he cited “almost $80 billion of minerals in this one project.” He stated that development will be led by Dominic Heaton, former CEO of Masan Resources, whose team developed the Nui Phao tungsten project in Vietnam. Cove plans to complete an updated Definitive Feasibility Study, with mine and plant construction targeted to begin within 24 months.

The U.S. clean-energy and defense supply chain may be on the cusp of a major shift — and not on American soil. In a recent interview with InvestorNews host Jack Lifton, Pini Althaus, managing partner of Cove Capital LLC, detailed his firm’s expanding footprint in Central Asia as it seeks to supply critical minerals to the United States and its allies.Althaus described how, following his tenure at USA Rare Earth, Inc. (NASDAQ: USAR, he turned his focus outward: “The United States itself doesn’t have enough developed projects for critical minerals here. … Whilst we endeavour to have a domestic supply chain … we’re going to have to look overseas.” According to him, the firm “saw Central Asia … as the lowest-hanging fruit.” He said that since early 2023, the company has been active in Kazakhstan, and that they are “the first, and I believe still only, U.S. company to have critical minerals licenses there.”The centerpiece of the strategy is the tungsten deal. Althaus told Lifton that on November 6 the company “was awarded … the largest tungsten project in the world, which contains in excess of 10 % of global tungsten reserves.” The venture is structured as a 70/30 joint-venture between a Cove Capital portfolio company and Kazakhstan’s national mining company, JSC Tau-Ken Samruk, with development costs estimated at roughly USD $1.1 billion. U.S. government backing includes a letter of interest for USD $900 million from the Export-Import Bank of the United States. According to Reuters reporting, construction is expected within two years, with production beginning in about 3½ years, and refining operations also in Kazakhstan.Althaus emphasized that the agreement is not only about mining ore: “We will be taking it further downstream, all the way down to metals, tools, etc. And Kazakhstan has the ability to do this.” He added that their technical team is led by Dominic Heaton, the former CEO of Masan Resources, which developed the Nui Phao tungsten mine and refinery in Vietnam.Lifton pointed out the strategic implications — noting that China currently controls more than 80 % of global tungsten reserves and enacted export controls to the U.S. earlier this year. Althaus agreed, framing the project in broader supply-chain terms: “Slowly but surely, chipping away at the monopoly. … The U.S. government is not going to develop the projects itself, but it is supporting them in a structured, commercial way.” He suggested that Washington is now taking a “very commercial approach” to the issue of critical-minerals sourcing, moving beyond the memorandum-of-understanding era.Beyond tungsten the firm is exploring other critical minerals in Central Asia. “In Kazakhstan we have lithium, beryllium, niobium, tin. And we are looking at opportunities in the other C5 countries. I’ve made several trips to Tashkent this year. I’ve met President Mirziyoyev four times already in 2025.” He added that Uzbekistan has also “enacted business reforms and reforms to its mining code, making it easier for companies like us to develop projects.”Althaus reflected on how the regulatory and political environment in Washington has evolved. “When I first went to Washington … there were only a handful of members of Congress who knew what a critical mineral was. … I think now this is one of the only bipartisan issues in Washington. And I don’t see the momentum stopping.”The interview underscores how a private-sector investment firm is stepping into a space traditionally dominated by state actors — deploying capital, negotiating with foreign governments, lining up downstream commitments, and aligning with U.S. policy objectives. The Kazakhstan tungsten agreement is reported to target production of approximately 12,000 metric tonnes per annum, representing about 15 % of current global output. The resource base is judged sufficient to support a 50-plus-year mine life.

“Shipping means revenue, means cash for the shareholders.” That was how Peter Clausi, Director and Vice President of Capital Markets at Silver Bullet Mines Corp. (TSXV: SBMI | OTCQB: SBMCF), described the company’s latest operational milestone. In a discussion with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, Clausi confirmed that following a first shipment of approximately 4,000 pounds of gold concentrate from the KT Gold Mine and about 2,000 pounds from the SC Mine, Silver Bullet has prepared about 2,500 pounds of concentrate from the KT Gold Mine for its second shipment.The company’s news release, issued November 17, 2025, noted that payment for initial shipments will be made 60 days from receipt at the refinery, and that future shipments are targeted every two weeks, each ranging between roughly 2,500 and 4,000 pounds of concentrate. In the interview, Clausi reiterated the cadence: “Every two weeks. Every two weeks. Every two weeks.”Clausi emphasized the importance of assay results in determining the value of the shipments. “We’re not talking dollar amounts yet,” he stated. “The buyer will run its own assays. We will share … our assay results, and then we will figure out … what that shipment is worth and we’ll be paid.” He added that the independent lab results for the SC Mine material had exceeded detection limits across the board—“every single sample ran over the detection limits … It’s an excellent problem to have.”Regarding processing, Clausi explained the technical process in simple terms: “If there’s, let’s say, X amount of gold in the host material … you go through the process … you’re stripping away anything that isn’t gold, so what you have left … is gold in the concentrate.” He also clarified that Silver Bullet is concentrating its efforts on the KT Mine because “we believe that there’s a lot more value per ton in the KT material—gold—than there is in the SC material—silver.” He confirmed that material from the KT Mine is already in the mill and on the ground undergoing processing into gold concentrate in preparation for the next shipment. He also pointed ahead to the next quarter: “Our announcement of what the KT material from the first and second shipments assays at … how that translates into ‘X’ dollars of revenue. That’ll be a very exciting news release.… we’re also doing work up in Idaho, and there should be additional news about the great progress we’re making up there.”

From the moment you touch down in the desert‐sculpted Erongo region of Namibia, you sense the tectonic shift underway — and ReeXploration Inc. (TSXV: REE) is positioning itself at the heart of it. This Canadian exploration company is focused on meeting the surging global demand for secure, responsible supplies of critical minerals essential to the clean-energy transition, advanced technologies and national defence. Its flagship Eureka Project in central Namibia hosts rare earth element (REE) mineralisation in monazite, rich in neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr) magnet metals, with bench-scale testing confirming it can produce a clean, Western-standard concentrate. Supported by a Namibia-based technical team and guided by global critical minerals experts, ReeXploration is advancing discovery-led growth for REEs and other critical minerals — and is building a credible, ESG-aligned platform positioned to benefit from the global race to diversify and secure responsible supply chains."Namibia is arguably one of the most stable and best jurisdictions in Africa, and they have a long, proud history of mining," Drysdale begins when asked why the company is there. He continues: "They’ve got three of the world’s largest uranium deposits … Namibia is head and shoulders above a lot of other jurisdictions in Africa." He adds matter-of-factly that: “Up until recently, it has been relatively under-explored for critical minerals … we came across one called the Eureka Project. So that’s why Namibia — it’s by far one of the best jurisdictions to be based in.”Proximity and infrastructure matter as much as the geology. “So the Walvis Bay Port, which is about 180 kilometres away from our project on a main road,” Drysdale explains, “is arguably the best port on the west coast of Africa. … With it being positioned on the west coast of Africa, it has a direct link to North America and Europe … without having to go around Africa or around the Horn or through the Suez Canal.” He is clearly sizing up geopolitical supply chains as much as rocks and ore.Yet what distinguishes this company perhaps most clearly is what Drysdale calls a “metallurgy-first” development approach. "From a crustal abundance point of view, rare earths are abundantly available but extracting them and getting to a Western-amenable product … was the problem," he says. “So, we decided to flip exploration on its head … we would look at rare earth projects and be able to solve the metallurgy and extract a product first at scale, before looking for scalability of the deposit.” He points out key criteria: “it has to have a low thorium content, so it doesn’t have high radioactivity; it allows for simple shipping; it has products that are easily winnable through conventional processing.” Only after ticking those boxes did they proceed to explore scalability.That strategy now seems to be bearing fruit. Drysdale reviews the recent developments at Eureka: “We’ve got geochemistry up to 8.75 % TREO in surface samples, with confirmed visible monazite in carbonatite on surface. And this really is an undrilled monster that hasn’t been previously tested in any of our drilling.” He emphasises two things: “We’ve identified a new area — from a scale and TREO perspective — that is bigger and better than what we’ve previously seen, with visible monazite on surface.” Adding: “Our historical work is now giving us shape to a deep-seated system that shows scalability and size potential.”He breaks down the key target: “We are mainly looking for neodymium and praseodymium — a monazite-hosted NdPr project. … NdPr are extremely critical in high-frequency magnets, drivetrains, and defence. … These are the minerals currently controlled by China … For us … our simple monazite with easy metallurgy … and that product being a high-value NdPr product … makes us very confident we’re in the right space and looking for the right mineral.”

In a rare alignment between a junior exploration company and a national research institution, Canuc Resources Corporation (TSXV: CDA | OTCQB: CNUCF) has found its flagship East Sudbury Project (Northeastern Ontario, Canada) under the direct scrutiny of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). The federal agency has commissioned a seismic survey on Canuc’s McLaren Lake Fault Zone (MLFZ)—a move that company President and CEO Christopher Berlet describes as both validating and transformative.“For me, it started in 2024 when I was on site,” Berlet recalled in his conversation with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes. “There were a number of geoscientists there from all over the world—IOCG specialists, iron oxide copper gold deposit-type specialists from Australia, the Netherlands, South Korea. I recall being astounded at the number of places where they had come from.” The experts, Berlet explained, were evaluating where NRCan could “spend money for maximum impact for very large deposit-type discoveries.” Their final assessment singled out Canuc’s McLaren Lake Fault Zone as the most deserving of deeper research.The seismic survey—scheduled for late March or early April 2026—will be executed by Optiseis Solutions Ltd. of Calgary, one of Canada’s leaders in subsurface imaging. Its objective is to illuminate fluid pathways and fault structures associated with Metasomatic Iron Alkali Calcic (MIAC) and Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) systems, both of which are known to host valuable copper, gold, and critical mineral concentrations. “We were delighted by the commitment from Natural Resources Canada to proceed, spend money on the project, and conduct this seismic survey,” Berlet said. “The result of their work—and they reviewed many properties across the country—was that this McLaren Lake Fault Zone on Canuc’s ground was the property that most deserved further work and research.”Berlet emphasized that Canuc will be closely involved in the data interpretation process. “There will be several specialists involved in interpretation, and it will provide very specific actionable intelligence for follow-up drilling,” he said, noting that results could be available within one month of survey completion.The McLaren Lake development is part of Canuc’s East Sudbury Project (ESP)—a 19,710-hectare land package located roughly 20 kilometers northeast of the prolific Sudbury Mining Camp. The company believes the ESP hosts multiple centers of mineralization consistent with IOCG and affiliated critical and precious metal systems. Berlet sees these targets as “company-makers,” comparing their potential to the globally renowned Candelaria and Olympic Dam deposits.“We have a very compelling case for a silver-dominant IOCG in Mexico on our San Javier claims,” he said, referring to Canuc’s parallel project in Sonora State, Mexico. “We’ve found up to bonanza grades of silver. We’ve found massive magnetite anomalies—magnetic anomalies. And we have one in particular that looks like on either side, veins daylight with bonanza grades of silver. There’s silver in soils above this magnetic anomaly. It’s a kilometer long, about 800 meters wide, and could support a very substantial silver metal inventory in magnetite, which is the IOCG model.”Supporting exploration with sustainable cash flow is central to Berlet’s operating philosophy. “In the instance of Canuc, we have these long-life natural gas wells in Texas,” he said. “We’ve added a 4% royalty on the tailings that we’re processing on the site of the Scadding tailings rehabilitation project in East Sudbury. And now we’re drilling for a high-grade gold lens… that can support a more substantive—still small scale for a mining company—but robust capital opportunity.”

From the moment you learn that one of North America’s most under-the-radar metals might be hiding a multi-million-ton treasure beneath a quiet landscape of New Brunswick, Canada, you sense there is more than exploration at play — there’s a strategic pivot. Antimony Resources Corp. (CSE: ATMY), an exploration company singularly focused on antimony, has just filed a NI 43-101 technical report for its Bald Hill Antimony Project in New Brunswick, a project now claiming “potential” for approximately 2.7 million tonnes of mineralization at grades of 3 %–4% antimony (Sb).In a wide-ranging interview with host Tracy Hughes of InvestorNews .com, CEO and Director James “Jim” Atkinson walks through the details of the model, the significance of the grades, and how antimony finds itself suddenly elevated to a critical mineral. “One of the things we also did … was create a three-dimensional model of the mineralization. … We ended up with 2.7 million potential tons. And then … at a grade between 3 % and 4 %.” Atkinson emphasizes: “What it gives us is 2.7 million tons of antimony mineralization … between 80,000 and 100,000 metric tons of contained antimony.” He is quick to caution: “I would say … remember this is not a resource. This is potential … it’s not known if the project will prove to be economic.”He further explains the power of the model: “When you generate a model and you don’t have information; the model tends to pinch it off … where the model is pinched off is often not because there’s no mineralization there; it’s because there’s no information there.” In that context, he reveals that “with our Phase Two Program … we’re finding … antimony in every drill hole we’re drilling.” This underlines not only the continuity but the expansion potential of the deposit.Atkinson does not shy away from comparison when defining “high-grade” in antimony terms. “I’d say the grade we have at Bald Hill … is the highest-grade antimony deposit certainly in North America, and it might be the highest in the world. … Often, we get 20–30 % antimony. That’s common in our drilling.” He contrasts this with another project -- Perpetua Resources Corp. (NASDAQ/TSX: PPTA)in Idaho, whose average grade is around 0.6 % antimony: “Their PEA says … 0.4 % antimony. Our grade averages ten times higher than that.” The implications for potential mine economics are clear: a higher grade lowers cost per unit of metal.When asked about timeline, Atkinson says: “What we’re doing right now is finishing this Phase Two Program … 15,000 metres of drilling in what we call the Main Zone.” Then: “We will also be starting another drill program in the first quarter … about 10,000 metres … that will also be definition drilling.” He projects that only after this drill density is achieved will the company evaluate “do we have enough information … to start talking about determining a resource?” That evaluation, he notes, is a decision slated for the first quarter. He projects “realistically, we’re looking at three years or so before we get to the point where there’s any kind of decision on mining.” Meanwhile, environmental baseline work and permitting consultations have already begun: “We’ve started environmental baseline work … with the first sampling in the spring. We’re also consulting with the New Brunswick government … we’re also starting to talk about what we need for a prefeasibility study.”Atkinson situates antimony’s relevance in the broader critical-metals context: “No, I think it’s become much more of a known item … the United States government is very knowledgeable—they’re putting money into antimony projects in the U.S. We think antimony is not only a critical metal, it’s a strategic metal. Antimony is so important to the military that if you don’t have antimony, we think you don’t have an army.” This statement both underscores supply-chain urgency and highlights Canada’s role in developing domestic North American sources of this lesser-known metal.

In the world of critical minerals, cesium rarely makes headlines—but Robin Dunbar, President and CEO of Grid Metals Corp. (TSXV: GRDM | OTCQB: MSMGF), is working to change that. “It’s a very exciting time for the company,” he said in an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes. “We’re currently drilling about 60 holes at Falcon West to put together a resource and define where the mineralization is and how big it is.”Cesium, used in everything from atomic clocks to advanced electronics, is among the rarest elements on Earth—and one that China controls with near-total dominance. “Sinomine, the Chinese company that controls 85% of the world’s cesium market, has a Canadian operation at the Tanco Mine,” explained Dunbar. “That chemical plant is one of only two in the world outside of China.” For Grid, proximity is opportunity: “Worst case, we have a place to send material an hour away by truck,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of conversations with the Tanco and Sinomine people over the years about potentially processing material.”That processing option is crucial as Western governments push to build independent supply chains for critical minerals. “There’s a real focus in Canada on how to create a North American supply chain,” Dunbar noted. “Our recent strategic investor is very interested in that—they’re an industry player.”Grid’s Falcon West cesium project sits just outside Winnipeg, adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway—an advantage few explorers can claim. The project has already delivered eye-catching drill intercepts, including 2.2 meters at 15.0% Cs₂O and 3.2 meters at 4.6% Cs₂O. “What’s interesting is the cesium zone we’re drilling is almost right at surface,” Dunbar said. “When we go to mine it, it’ll be relatively inexpensive to extract because it’ll be like a quarry—near surface, no tailings, no big mill. You mine it, crush it, and use ore sorting to create a high-value concentrate.”While Falcon West advances, Grid is also expanding its nickel ambitions through its Makwa project—a joint venture with Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TECK.A | TSX: TECK.B | NYSE: TECK). “We compare Makwa to the Ring of Fire’s Eagle’s Nest project,” Dunbar said. “We have nickel on surface, we’ve flown it, and now we’re drilling it. We think there are a lot of similarities between where we are in Manitoba and the Ring of Fire.” Under the agreement, Teck can earn up to a 70% interest by spending CAD$17.3 million on exploration and development.For Dunbar, who has decades of experience in mining finance and exploration, the next few months will be decisive. “Right now, we have drills going at both projects,” he said. “We’re drilling about 60 holes at Falcon West before Christmas and about 2,500 meters at Makwa with Teck. We’re really at the discovery phase for both. This gives us a really good potential for a re-rating of the company’s stock.”The company’s November 2025 update confirmed that both programs are fully funded, following a C$4 million financing led by a new strategic investor. “A big part of running small juniors is looking for opportunities, capitalizing on them, and then leveraging those opportunities,” Dunbar said. “We’ve got the properties, we’ve got them permitted—and now we’re letting our exploration team do their thing.”

When Brian Leeners talks about solar glass, it isn’t just a technical discussion—it sounds more like a revolution in the making. “It’s a milestone event, to say the least,” said the CEO and Director of Homerun Resources Inc. (TSXV: HMR | OTCQB: HMRFF), in an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes. “You can actually produce high-efficiency, great-quality solar glass without using antimony.”For a global solar industry long reliant on China’s dominance, that statement lands with the weight of a seismic shift. China currently manufactures roughly 95% of the world’s solar glass, and virtually all of it is doped with antimony—a toxic, expensive metal that improves clarity but complicates recycling. “The glass has always been the problem,” said Leeners. “In recycling solar modules, nobody wants that glass.”Homerun’s discovery that its Brazilian silica can create antimony-free solar glass could dramatically change that equation. “Our silica has the lowest iron content in a large silica sand deposit in the world,” Leeners explained. “It’s like mother nature got together with a solar glass engineer and decided, ‘Let’s make the perfect product.’”This unique resource, located in Bahia, Brazil, gives Homerun not only a cost advantage but a strategic one. With antimony prices surging and Western regulators pushing to eliminate its use in clean energy manufacturing, the company’s announcement has sparked international interest. “When we put out that news, we got a lot of incoming traffic,” Leeners said. “It was definitely well understood within the alternative energy community.”The timing is no accident. On November 13, Homerun announced it had engaged Germany’s DTEC PMP GmbH to complete a Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) for what will be Latin America’s first dedicated high-efficiency solar glass manufacturing facility. The BFS, which will use Homerun’s high-purity low-iron silica from Bahia, is expected to be completed in Q1 2026—compressing a process that typically takes three to five years into just one. “The BFS is the deliverable for financing,” said Leeners. “It’s the point where you go from ‘we want to be in cash flow’ to ‘you are going to be in cash flow, subject to financing.’”The engagement with DTEC marks a turning point in Homerun’s vertical integration strategy. “Engaging DTEC represents a powerful milestone,” Leeners said. “We’re moving decisively toward making Brazil home to Latin America’s first dedicated high-efficiency solar glass manufacturing facility.” According to the company, the BFS will include market analysis, cost modeling, ESG frameworks, and technical assessments that will support project financing with both Brazil’s national development bank (BNDES) and international backers.But the company’s ambitions extend beyond solar glass. Homerun is also advancing research into using its ultra-pure silica in rare earth element separation—an industry Leeners believes is ripe for disruption. “In typical Brian-Leeners fashion, I want to disrupt that process,” he said. “We’re introducing new concepts with our partner. Brazil has a huge endowment of ionic adsorption clays—the same type found in China and Myanmar—but you can’t do in-situ leaching there. We’re looking at new techniques using silica gel for ion exchange.”This innovation-driven approach defines Homerun’s broader mission. As Leeners put it, “We have 10 to 15 material deliverables in process as we speak—high-grade silica, antimony-free solar glass, and rare earth extraction technologies. My mandate was to speed up the process.” For Leeners and his team, the road ahead is crowded with milestones. Homerun’s vertically integrated model—spanning silica supply, solar glass production, energy storage, and advanced energy solutions—is built to serve one goal: transforming Brazil’s abundant natural resources into the materials that power a cleaner, circular economy.

When Pat Ryan speaks about rare earths, he doesn’t talk about rocks—he talks about control. “Samarium is the most critically vulnerable rare earth, or the most critically vulnerable critical mineral,” said Ryan, CEO and Chairman of Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU | OTCQX: UURAF), in an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes. “That’s important to the Vacuumschmelze relationship.”At a time when global supply chains are being redrawn under the shadow of China’s export bans, Ucore has positioned itself as a linchpin in the West’s bid for rare earth independence. Its recently signed Memorandum of Understanding with Germany’s Vacuumschmelze GmbH & Co. KG (VAC) and eVAC Magnetics LLC represents what Ryan calls “an alliance between Canada, the USA, and Germany — three countries connecting.” The partnership, timed for the G7 summit, links Ucore’s rare earth refining technology with one of the world’s most established magnet producers — one that supplies critical materials for defense systems, electric vehicles, and renewable energy applications.VAC’s U.S. subsidiary, eVAC Magnetics, has just completed construction of a permanent magnet facility in Sumter County, South Carolina, backed by the U.S. Department of War and a $111.9 million Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit. Ucore’s role is to supply these plants with high-purity rare earth oxides—materials separated using its proprietary RapidSX™ technology, which Ryan says is “70% faster than solvent extraction and done with 60% less footprint.” The system’s agility allows Ucore to shift production targets in hours instead of weeks. “If you’re looking to target something specific like samarium or gadolinium, you can actually do that economically,” he said. “You can chase that particular group of vulnerable rare earth minerals and make it happen for someone like Vacuumschmelze.”For Ryan, this is not about incremental progress but strategic autonomy. “We’re funded by the Department of War, and they are as well — so it makes a good connection,” he explained. “It’s about rebuilding the Western supply network.”That network is also backed by Canada. Following China’s April export restrictions on rare earths including samarium and gadolinium—elements essential for high-temperature magnets used in F-35 fighter jets and Virginia-class submarines—the Canadian federal government announced a C$36.3 million grant to Ucore. “It culminated with a program announced at the G7,” Ryan said. “Minister Hodgson signed the agreement with Ucore right on center stage.” The funds—C$26 million from Natural Resources Canada and C$10 million from FedDev Ontario—will support a samarium-gadolinium production line in Canada. “It’s a full grant, not a loan,” Ryan emphasized. “So, yes, we’re feeling good about it.”As Washington and Ottawa divide responsibilities—Louisiana focusing on heavy rare earths, Canada on samarium-gadolinium—Ucore is also cementing upstream alliances. The company has re-engaged with Hastings Technology Metals Ltd. (ASX: HAS), an Australian rare-earth producer now free of prior Chinese entanglements. “Hastings aligning with Ucore brings together Canadian technology and U.S. manufacturing in Louisiana,” Ryan said. “We’re moving quickly… to get it into play by 2027.”Ryan’s tone is calm but unmistakably strategic. “To build a supply chain, you’ve got to have nodes that connect,” he said. “You can’t have one-off MOUs that don’t bring a full solution.” With facilities advancing in Alexandria, Louisiana, and Kingston, Ontario, and downstream partners like VAC and eVAC, Ryan sees Ucore’s role as more than just a participant. “If ‘command center’ means delivering product and solving deficiencies in the supply chain to rebuild the Western supply network,” he said, “then we’ll take that title.”The phrase hangs in the air—a reminder that the rare earth race is no longer about who can dig the deepest, but who can connect the dots fastest.

The global race to build the infrastructure for artificial intelligence has reached a fever pitch — and few understand the overlap between crypto and compute power better than Sheldon Bennett, CEO and Director of DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. (TSXV: DMGI | OTCQB: DMGGF). Sitting down with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes, Bennett described a company that began with Bitcoin mining and is now positioning itself at the intersection of blockchain, defense, and AI sovereignty.“This is a really interesting announcement for our company,” Bennett said of DMG’s recent move into the U.S. market. The company has signed a letter agreement to purchase a 27,600-square-foot facility on eight acres in Oregon, its first U.S.-based data center — a move that places it directly in the heart of an emerging artificial intelligence corridor. “That location has five, six, maybe seven massive AWS — Amazon Web Services — data centers. They’re huge buildings taking huge amounts of power, backup generation, and water cooling for Amazon… So, this is one of the epicenters of compute for AWS.”For a company that has spent nearly a decade defining its place in blockchain infrastructure, the leap across the border represents more than geographic expansion. It is a strategic recognition that the new currency isn’t just digital — it’s processing power. “Every company that I talk to, which are mainly crypto companies that have moved into AI, have all said they can’t convert enough space — and by space, I mean power — to AI quickly enough for the amount of demand that is out there,” Bennett noted. “Currently in the U.S., the demand is so great you can’t build enough capacity or get enough GPUs fast enough.”In many ways, DMG’s decision mirrors its careful, data-driven ethos. Founded as a vertically integrated blockchain and data-center technology company, DMG has long balanced growth with restraint. “We pride ourselves on being stewards of capital,” Bennett emphasized. “When you buy a share in DMG, I’m a ‘steward of your capital’ — you’ve put your money into our company, and I’m trying to ensure you get the most out of it and a good return. One of our greatest successes is saying no.”The Oregon acquisition marks a milestone in that philosophy: an entry into the U.S. high-performance computing (HPC) market while preserving the company’s Canadian focus. “Our focus in Canada is initially to serve the Canadian government’s goal to build AI data centers that keep the models and data within Canadian sovereign borders,” Bennett said. “In parallel, DMG intends to service the enterprise data center market… but over time to service the larger opportunity in the U.S. In order to be able to capitalize on that larger opportunity, DMG needs to start building now.”Back home, DMG is also shaping Canada’s emerging sovereign AI ecosystem through two parallel initiatives. “Track one is working with the Canadian military,” Bennett explained. “We’ve gone after the Canadian military because we know there’s a large amount of upgrades and expansion they want to do around AI and quantum compute.” The company has proposed pre-fabricated, skid-rated data centers that can be “purchased immediately — they don’t have to wait for them to be built — and deploy wherever they’d like.”“Track two,” he added, “is the enterprise look at AI in Canada… The government is looking at whether universities have access to sovereign AI — AI in which their IP developed on these chips stays in Canada and is safe from other eyes.” The company’s ability to integrate energy partnerships, data-center design, and chip-supply chain access has positioned it as a serious contender in both defense and enterprise markets.